Rice production industry in need of overhaul

EVEN before the issue of price increases for rice has been solved, we are now faced with another problem – very low availability of certified padi seeds and supposedly exorbitant prices charged by the suppliers, “Crackdown on padi seed shenanigans” (The Star, Nov 15).

In the old days, farmers simply put aside a portion of their padi seeds as planting material for the following season, and the system worked well for generations.